Demon's Struggle
by Dei-Dreamer
Summary: Series of oneshots and generally unrelated drabbles concerning Ulquiorra's life and later his struggle with humanity. Post Hueco Mundo Arc. Ratings will change accordingly.
1. Defending Home

A blast was heard from the stairwell, and the two who lived inside were instantly on their feet in alarm.

"What in the world-?" Orihime cried over the sound of settling debris.

The second, a man with black hair and bright green eyes, did not hesitate for a second as he ran from the room to see what had happened. It was a blast zone, the stairs almost completely annihilated where the roof had caved in, and immediately the man was irate. He saw, through the dust, a pair of shining red eyes.

"**SHAAAA-"**came the sound of its exhaling, long and drawn out.

Ulquiorra's piercing eyes evaluated the creature before him, calculating the scenario without an ounce of fear in him.

"What business do you have here?" he questioned, a look of disgust on his face.

The monster turned its head to him and began to laugh, impressed with the human before him.

"**UAHA-HA-HA-HAA! So you can see me, little creature? I thought I felt an interesting spiritual pressure in this place!" **It exclaimed in excitement.

The woman bound into the hall, eyes intensely focused as they darted between Ulquiorra's stoic face and the creature before them.

"Do not fret, onna. I will clear a path for you, and keep it distracted while you get the Soul Badge. I will not allow it to harm you." He told her, and through the hard look in his eyes she could see the promise that he would protect her. She nodded, and looked back at the creature that now descended the stairs slowly and heavily.

It was a large, relic-like creature, with six stumpy legs and a head built for mowing down large objects, a mask with horns protruding from the bridge of its nose, and two above either eye. Its dead eyes gazed lazily between the two, until it reached the bottom of the steps.

"Go!" he instructed, and darted forward to land a hard kick onto the creature's body, knocking it over.

The slender woman took her chance and bound through the fallen structure and over the gap in the stairs, nodding to the him as she disappeared.

"**FOOLISH HUMAN! I was going to leave you be, and go after that woman's appealing soul, but you have made me very angry!"** The creature screamed as it rose to its feet.

A tail whipped around from behind and, faster than the eye could see, spikes grew from the tip as it swung around to impale the man. He dove to escape the deadly blow and took an object out of his pocket defensively. Pressing a small button out popped the sharpened edge of a blade, which he threw with proficient aim at the monster's eye.

"**UGWAA!"** it cried in pain and disbelief.

Ulquiorra graced himself a small smile at his success, but quickly it was wiped away as the monster's mouth opened and a red beam began to concentrate from within it.

"Impossible. A lowly hollow that can perform the cero…" he murmured in surprise.

"**YES HUMAN. I TRY TO KEEP THIS SKILL TO MYSELF TO BATTLE THE MENOS GRANDE, BUT YOU HAVE ROYALLY PISSED ME OFF!" **It exclaimed, as the beam continued to charge. He sprung to his feet, cursing his current handicap as he looked around for a way to defend himself without further destroying the building.

"Ulquiorra!" Orihime called from the top of the stairs.

She pulled her arm back and threw a small wooden necklace. His eyes locked onto the object and he rushed forward to snatch it out of the air. Glancing once at the monster's charging beam he pressed the skull engraved necklace to his chest.

The beast's brilliant red blast shot from its mouth and engulfed the man in a cloud of smoke. The air grew thick, and the creature danced awkwardly in its place.

"**KE-HE-HEH! You never stood a chance against me, fool. And now I shall-"**the hollow paused its success monologue as the smoke cleared.

Kneeling before it was the man clad in an all white uniform. His stained eyes were slitted demonic figures, and on the left half of his head over his deep black hair lay the untainted white skull and ear of a bat. At his waist rested a long blade, the symbol of a soul reaper, but the unzipped top of his jacket revealed a hole clean through his chest. If the hollow had any color in its form it would have lost it all then. Realization struck it.

"**V-VASTO LORDE! YOU'RE A HOLLOW!"** the creature cried in fear, backing away from Ulquiorra. Green demonic eyes stared indifferently at the weakling before him, and slowly he opened his mouth to reveal the concentrated red beam that had originally been thrown at him. To make an example of his power, he closed his mouth and swallowed the beam whole as if it were nothing.

And to a demon of his caliber, it most likely was.

"I evolved past vasto lorde centuries ago." Ulqiuorra stated, "You are in the presence of one of the remaining Espada Arrancar. How dare you interrupt this place thinking you could possibly challenge _me_."

"**A-Arrancar! NO! You don't exist any more! Not after the war! Please! Please spare me!" **the creature cried to the cuatro espada.

"You threatened the onna's life. And for that, you shall pay dearly. To be quite honest, you stood a better chance living in Hueco Mundo than defeating me." He declared ominously, stepping forward. And in an instant, just as quickly as the hollow had appeared, it was no more. Not a single scrap of its ethereal body was left behind. Only the hole it had come through remained, and Ulquiorra re-sheathing Murcielago.


	2. Helping Hands

"Ulquiorra!"

The shinigami was stunned momentarily on the battlefield, eyes locked onto the Arrancar that had deflected what could easily have been a finishing blow from the Quincy captain, sternritter B. 

"Do not despair Kurosaki." the ex-Espada directed. "Do not hesitate."

Those piercing green eyes glanced back at the young man, hardened by his resolve to fight alongside Ichigo. The ryoka could only stare back, wondering how in the world the Arrancar could be there. After he had watched him disappear into nothingness on the roof of Hueco Mundo, the last thing he had expected was to be aided by the hollow against the Quincy army.

"Rise. The King is watching." The Espada commanded, turning back to the enemy.

"I will assist you in this final battle for the world. You cannot give up now." He kept his eyes on the enemy Quincy, waiting for the shinigami's response. It was then that the boy regained his senses and his will. 

"That's my line." Ichigo murmured out of habit, stepping up to stand beside his former enemy. He could also sense Grimmjow's reiatsu rapidly approaching in the distance and smirked, wondering when everything had become so backwards.

"I was just waiting for you to get here before getting serious. Grimmjow would have bitched if I left him out of this."

"Do not compare me to that lunatic." Ulquiorra countered in his usual monotone, though the shinigami could sense the irritation in his energy. After his final battle with the cuatro Espada, exchanging blows before succumbing to his hollow, he was able to glimpse into the dark creature's hidden emotion. Though he hated to admit it, Ichigo understood the Arrancar nearly as much as Orihime, if not more so in other aspects.

"Is that how you're going to treat me, asshole? After I helped that hat-and-clogs bastard bring you back from the sorry state you were in, Ulquiorra?" Grimmjow jeered, having finally reached them.

Ichigo didn't know whether to bristle or laugh at the current situation he was in, being aided by the same people he had grown to acknowledge as the enemy. But they were bantering like old friends in the middle of the most earth shattering battle as though it were an every day occurrence.


	3. Acceptance

"I still don't trust you."

Kurosaki glared as he passed the stoic ex-espada. Sparks flew between them as they exchanged heated glares, though one more subdued than the other. The helpless look on Orihime's face brought the hollow to look away from the shinigami, opening the door to usher him out.

"It is about time for you to be going shinigami. Your family will be missing you if you are not back before bedtime." The Arrancar lightly taunted the teenager. Ichigo nearly lilted forward, ready to beat the hollow senseless, but was stopped by the light of Orihime's shun shun rikka out of the corner of his eye. 

"Stop it Kurosaki-kun. Please don't do anything rash. Nothing is going to happen to me so please… go home." She pleaded with a determined look at her childhood friend. Ichigo hesitated, looking between the girl and the ex-espada.

"Listen to the onna, Kurosaki Ichigo. You no longer have any business here." Ulquiorra told him.

Ichigo glared back at him with open hostility but stormed out with a concerned backward glance to Orihime. Once he was gone Orihime leaned against the closed door with an exhausted sigh, sliding down to sit. Ulquiorra looked down at her with a slight raise of an eyebrow. The shinigami's slow in fading reiatsu made him hesitate to bring himself to sit next to the woman lest the boy return.

When she looked up at him with a soft smile, reaching up to tug at his hand, he relented. How could he refuse her when she looked at him the way she did? He crouched and fell back onto his haunches in one fluid motion, shoulder brushing up against hers. She wrapped her arms around his mid-section, pulling herself closer into his side, and he could feel the tension he didn't even know he had wilt away. Being around her friends tended to subconsciously have him on edge, and only she could calm him down.

"I just can't understand why Kurosaki-kun and Tatsuki-chan still act that way toward you. They know as well as everyone else that you would never hurt me." The girl murmured into his side. Ulquiorra's chest tightened at this, forcing him to look away from the woman that trusted him implicitly.

"They have good reason to fear me, onna." He told her, rubbing her arm lightly. He'd found a spot on the floor particularly interesting and refused to look at her as he spoke, though she was looking at him. "It seems that you are the only one who thinks there is compassion in this body. That I am not merely meant for war. Just because I have a literal 'heart' now does not mean I can feel the way humans would."

Orihime reached up to take his face into her hand, tilting it to look back into her eyes. Those that conveyed a deep understanding and emotion. He brought his hand up to cover her own, never looking away from those warm eyes.

"I told you not to talk like that Ulquiorra-kun." She whispered to him, brushing the pad of her thumb across his cheek.

"Onna…" the Arrancar murmured, feeling his rationality and control steadily slipping within her gaze. Attempting to wrap his mind around things he still couldn't admit to fully understanding.

All he knew was that he simply couldn't live without her light.


End file.
